1:48 40’ BEF Infantry On The March No.2

The second man in a column of British infantry

This miniature develops the marching line of British soldiers from the spring and summer of 1940. The two in the designation refers to the position in the column, so it suits above all those who already have the first position and want to lengthen the column. The different posture of the individual numbers keeps a scene from looking like one and the same figure repeated.

A short reminder of the spring of 1940

British units first moved to the northeast of France, in May they advanced into Belgium and after the breakthrough at Sedan they withdrew toward the coast. It was exactly these withdrawal movements that meant long marches on foot along country roads, among civilian carts and streams of refugees. A tableau with a column therefore does not have to show combat to look convincing; on the contrary, a quiet scene often tells more.

Placing it in a formation

Two neighboring figures look better when you do not put them exactly one behind the other. A slight deviation from the axis and a different length of stride create an impression of movement. In the finished scene it helps to give each figure a slightly different shade of serge, because real equipment never faded in the same way. It is equally worth varying the tilt of the helmet, so that the silhouettes are not interchangeable.

Suitable use

• Lengthening a column assembled from the other numbered positions
• Completing a display scene with British hardware of the same scale
• A painted miniature on its own on a small base
• A tableau of the withdrawal movements along French country roads
• Showing the difference in size between a man and a vehicle in a display case